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AdMob: Google’s diversification strategy with the Android is making gains on Apple’s iPhone

Apple’s iPhone may be known as The Jesus Phone, but Google’s diversified approach to selling smartphones appears to be paying off. According to AdMob’s March Mobile Metrics Report, Google’s Android operating system is quickly picking up market share in the smartphone market.

AdMob’s results should be taken with a grain of salt, considering that the mobile ad network was recently acquired by Google for $750 million. However, AdMob has an impressive store of mobile ad data, with a 40% share of the mobile ad market.

And there is plenty to be found in the company’s new numbers. AdMob packaged together data from 18,000 mobile ad publishers and found that Google’s Android operating system is returning an impressive growth rate of 32% year over year.

The iPhone still commands a large percentage of mobile internet usage. 22% of web usage on cellphones comes from iPhone devices. However, Android devices now account for 4% of web usage. The iPhone still dominates the Admob network worldwide. Apple’s device accounts for 46%
of Admob’s ad requests. But Android comes in second place with a 25%
share. Considering that the Droid hit the market 2.5 years after the iPhone, those numbers are pretty respectable.

Another interesting finding relates to the number of devices powered by the Android operating system and their usage. While Apple exhibits tight control over its smartphone product and manufactures all iPhone and iPods, Android powers 34 different handsets from 12 manufacturers.

However, 96% of all Android traffic in March came from just 11 of those devices. Six months ago, two devices accounted for most of Android’s traffic.

Also, the Droid was the most popular device. It accounted for 32% of Admob’d Android-based traffic in March. Meanwhile, Google’s bid to unseat the iPhone, the Nexus One, accounted for only 2% of Android Admob advertising requests in March.

Apple’s iPhone has less of a fragmentation issue, but giving consumers multiple routes to access smartphone technology appears to be paying off for Google. It’s effort to sell phones directly to consumers, however, is not working.

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The iPad is on its way. Apple started accepting pre-orders earlier this month, but there are still many unanswered questions about what iPad will deliver in its final form.

One thing that almost certainly won’t be present when the iPad ships: support for Adobe Flash. That has numerous raised questions about both the iPad and Flash. After all, if the device Apple is betting so big on doesn’t support Flash, will publishers, who have seen Apple’s success with the iPhone, be forced to adopt Flash alternatives in order to position themselves to cash in if the iPad achieves success of its own? Or is Apple simply fighting a fight it can’t win?

By now, you’ve probably heard the news: Google has finally made its move in the OS arena. Google Chrome OS is on its way and Google is taking aim at a market in which Microsoft’s grip seems tenuous: netbooks.

Not surprisingly, the buzz has begun. Complete, of course, with sensational headlines like the one that declares Google has dropped a “nuclear bomb” on Microsoft.

I’ve had a theory for a long time that the majority of people want quality products and great customer service more so than a good cheap deal. Don’t get me wrong, people like value for money, but not at the cost of a shoddy experience.

I think you can take Ryanair as a good case-in-point, whereby some people still want great customer service after paying peanuts. For people who are more realistic, it’s worth paying that little bit more for a better experience. After all, our time and how we feel, are the most important things for many people.

We’re in the land of startups this week, spending a day in the life of Ann-Marie Rossiter, Head of Marketing at events marketplace HeadBox. As usual, we’ll be finding out what it takes to succeed in this role, from skills and tools to the daily routine. If you’d like to appear in this feature, get […]